Landing on the Right Side of Your Ass: A Survival Guide for the Recently Unemployed

By Michael Laskoff

Job hunting is a different ballgame when you're holding a pink slip instead of a brand-new college diploma. In Landing on the Right Side of Your Ass, Michael B. Laskoff-a Harvard M.B.A. who has flown... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400051142
• ISBN13: 9781400051144
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.5" x 5.2"

Customer Reviews

"Landing On The Right Side Of Your Ass" is a lifesaver!!!!

I wish I had known about and bought this book 2 months ago when I was "fired" (for the first time in 30 years of working!!). It's essential in surviving unemployment. It's funny, sharp, urbane and touches on all the "untouchable" subjects - blaming your employer, blaming yourself, taking a vacation before beginning job hunting, how to talk to friends and family, and so forth. It discussed all the subjects I couldn't talk about to anyone, and helped me feel sane and centered in the midst of a very trying time. I highly recommend this book, which I have worn out two highlighters while reading!

Good

If you are currently unemployed, this is a great book. It is also good preparation if you think you might be laid off (or quit your job). The first part of the book is great and is right on target, showing that the author knows what he is talking about. Although the resume writing part is small and boring for those of us who keep our resumes updated, it is definitely good for people who have not updated theirs in years. Overall a very good book and an easy read.

Cheaper than a shrink and A LOT funnier!

This is a must read for anyone who has to work for a living. Chances are, especially in todays job market, you're livelihood is at risk because of reasons you may or may not have control over. This guy has lost more jobs than I've ever had in every imaginable way. He has experienced the full range of emotions (his wife is a saint) and despite some amusing self-destructive releases of grief and anger, has always landed on the right side of his ass. As someone who's been out on his ass for more than a year, I totally empathized with MLBs experiences. The advice contained herein is not only informative and very applicable but also very entertaining -- common sense served up with a side of humor. In addition, it was very comforting to see someone who has experienced the same emotions I have. I thought I was weak; it turns out I'm human. In addition to his book, check out his WWW site: http://www.askyourass.com. I learned about this guy's work through his column in Business Week and am eternally grateful for the advice and humor during a very stressful time. No affiliation whatsoever; just a very satisfied customer...

I'm furious! And now I'm getting over myself!

I read this book because I've been wanting to look for a new job and didn't know where to start. I found everything I was looking for, great tips, marketing strategies for myself, etc. And the book has such a friendly vibe, you feel that Mr. Laskoff is an actual friend who has all the answers for you.Now I've been dispensing my own career wisdom to friends that find themselves, well... out on their ass. I've found that so many friends get so angry when let go from a job and they can't loose that. This book starts by saying, you might have been fired unfairly, or you might have totally done it to yourself... but you HAVE to get over it and move on. It's great advice that a surprising majority of people don't seem to quite get.This book is a very entertaining read that you won't regret. His website is very very fun too. His man on the street interviews can be laugh out loud funny. If you don't have a job, GET THIS BOOK!

A pratical, humorous, and different approach -- MUST READ

Refreshing. I've been dealing with employment related issues for the past two years, and I'd all but given up hope of ever finding something that was written by an adult and for an adult. But out of habit, I always check out the "Careers" section whenever I'm in the bookstore, and this time I found "Landing On The Right Side Of Your Ass." Then a strange thing happened, as I flipped through the introduction, I started to laugh because some of the author's vignettes reflect the same sort of screwy and tortuous mishaps that have beset my own career. And as I read more, I discovered that he'd actually written about subjects that I hadn't seen elsewhere, like how to deal with the anger of being unemployed and manage the impact that your joblessness has any on your family. But I found two chapters later in the book to be particularly helpful. In one, Laskoff compares resumes to the personal ads, which sounds crazy, until you read about why this actually makes sense. I learned enough from this to make some very good changes to my resume and people seem to be responding better to it. And finally, there's a great chapter that urges job seekers to approach interviews from the perspective of the person doing the interviewing. (Think about his problems and present yourself as a solution.) All in all, I found this book to be quite different from the usual career book; it's pragmatic, easy to read, and often funny. I strongly believe that it will be of great help to anyone struggling with unemployment.